The flotation tailing reservoir at KGHM Polska Miedz copper mine. Tailings are waste streams produced by the process of extracting metal from ore, and consist of crushed rock and chemical effluent, much of it toxic.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

September 5, 2013

The flotation tailing reservoir at KGHM Polska Miedz copper mine. Tailings are waste streams produced by the process of extracting metal from ore, and consist of crushed rock and chemical effluent, much of it toxic.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Coal ash at the Adamóv power station.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

July 10, 2013

Coal ash at the Adamóv power station.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Effluent from the Belchatów Power Station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

June 16, 2013

Effluent from the Belchatów Power Station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Effluent from the Belchatów power station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

June 16, 2013

Effluent from the Belchatów power station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

The Police Chemical Plant is a major producer of mineral multi-component fertilizers, acids and ammonia, and is one of Poland’s biggest exporters.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

September 10, 2013

The Police Chemical Plant is a major producer of mineral multi-component fertilizers, acids and ammonia, and is one of Poland’s biggest exporters.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Effluent from the Belchatów Power Station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

June 16, 2013

Effluent from the Belchatów Power Station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Effluent from the Belchatów Power Station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

June 16, 2013

Effluent from the Belchatów Power Station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

The Police Chemical Plant is a major producer of mineral multi-component fertilizers, acids and ammonia, and is one of Poland’s biggest exporters.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

September 10, 2013

The Police Chemical Plant is a major producer of mineral multi-component fertilizers, acids and ammonia, and is one of Poland’s biggest exporters.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Coal ash at the Adamóv power station.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

July 10, 2013

Coal ash at the Adamóv power station.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Effluent from the Belchatów Power Station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

June 16, 2013

Effluent from the Belchatów Power Station, the largest coal-fueled thermal plant in Europe, and one of the highest emitters of CO2 among power stations worldwide.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

The flotation tailing reservoir at KGHM Polska Miedz copper mine. Tailings are waste streams produced by the process of extracting metal from ore, and consist of crushed rock and chemical effluent, much of it toxic.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

September 5, 2013

The flotation tailing reservoir at KGHM Polska Miedz copper mine. Tailings are waste streams produced by the process of extracting metal from ore, and consist of crushed rock and chemical effluent, much of it toxic.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

The Police Chemical Plant is a major producer of mineral multi-component fertilizers, acids and ammonia, and is one of Poland’s biggest exporters.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Panos Pictures

September 10, 2013

The Police Chemical Plant is a major producer of mineral multi-component fertilizers, acids and ammonia, and is one of Poland’s biggest exporters.
Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Toxic Beauty

Nature, second prize stories

September 5, 2013

The flotation tailing reservoir at KGHM Polska Miedz copper mine. Tailings are waste streams produced by the process of extracting metal from ore, and consist of crushed rock and chemical effluent, much of it toxic.

Views from the air reveal an impact of industry on the environment that is hard to see from the ground, as effluent leeches into the Polish landscape—coal ash (the waste that remains after coal is combusted, containing toxic heavy metals) from power stations, by-products of mining, emissions from chemical factories.

Kacper Kowalski

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About the photographer

Kacper Kowalski

Kacper Kowalski, born in 1977, was supposed to be an architect. Yet five years of studies and four of designing were more than enough for him. In 2006, he eventually quit his job and turned to his two true passions: flying and photography.

Both a pilot and a photographer, he takes unique control over each shot, capturing previously unseen natural environments and ordinarily inaccessible cityscapes. The results are unreal, almost graphic images, which reveal patterns, symmetries, and asymmetries created by humans and nature.

His aerial photographs have received numerous awards, including World Press Photo awards (2009, 2014), Picture of the Year International POYi awards (2012, 2014), NPPA Best of Photojournalism award (2013), and the Sony World Photography Award (2014).

His first photography book, Side Effects, was published in early 2014. He is represented by the Panos Pictures agency for editorials, his fine arts prints are available by Leica Gallery Warsaw. He lives and works in Gdynia, Poland.

Interviews

2015 prizewinner Kacper Kowalski talks about his series 'Side Effects'

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